Mercimek köftesi is a vegetarian dish, and is often consumed as a healthy meat-free option. The red lentils provide protein, fiber, and various nutrients.
Table of Contents
The dish is prepared by cooking red lentils until soft and then mixing them with fine bulgur. This mixture is seasoned with herbs and spices and then kneaded into small balls or patties.
I used Turkish red lentils from a Turkish supermarket here. If you get them from a regular supermarket, the red lentils are probably finer. So they cook faster. Cook even finer lentils with less water.
Recipe
Yield: 6 servings
Turkish Red Lentil Kofte
Mercimek köftesi is a vegetarian dish, and is often consumed as a healthy meat-free option.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 200 grams red lentils
- 200 grams fine bulgur (kısırlık bulgur)
- 850 ml hot water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 spring onions
- ½ handful parsley
- Arugula
- Lemon
- Pomegranate sauce
Sauce
- 125 ml olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red pepper paste
Spices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon red paprika powder
Instructions
- Rinse the red lentils well and cook them with hot water until they soften. Add salt.
- Once the lentils are soft, add the fine bulgur. Cover with a lid. The bulgur will soften in the same water, which takes about 15 minutes.
- Sauté the chopped onion in olive oil. Add the tomato paste and red pepper paste, and cook everything together well.
- Mix the onion mixture into the lentil mixture and stir well with a spoon. It might still be very hot!!! Cover again and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the spices. Knead with your hands to combine all the flavors.
- Add the chopped parsley and spring onions and continue kneading.
- Take pieces of the lentil mixture about the size of a walnut and squeeze them in your palm. Or simply shape them into balls.
- Place the lentil balls on a bed of arugula and serve with lemon or pomegranate sauce.
Afiyet olsun. (Bon appétit!)
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